When every currently injured Sunderland player is expected to return - including Dennis Cirkin and Enzo Le Fée

With the international break now upon us, Sunderland have a chance to regroup and gather themselves ahead of a promotion push in the latter stages of the Championship campaign.

And the next fortnight could hardly have come at a better time for a number of injured Black Cats stars, who now have an opportunity to work their way back towards fitness without missing any more game time. But who can Sunderland fans expect to see back in the near future, and who is facing a longer stint on the treatment table? We’ve taken a closer look below.

When do the injured Sunderland players return?

Enzo Le Fée

The French midfielder has been sidelined since February’s defeat to Hull City, but is understood to be making good progress in his recovery, and could be in line to return against Millwall just after the international break. Speaking about Le Fée in a recent press conference, Regis Le Bris said that the playmaker “should be available”.

Leo Hjelde

Like Le Fée, there is an optimistic sense that Hjelde should also be available to feature against Millwall on March 29th. The Norwegian’s injury was a relatively minor one, but his comeback could be timely, with uncertainty surrounding Dennis Cirkin’s fitness status.

Dennis Cirkin

The left-back was taken off partway through the second half of Sunderland’s 3-0 defeat to Coventry City on Saturday, and as yet, there has been no update on the exact severity of his setback. A confirmation is expected soon, and a bad injury could rule him out of England U21s’ upcoming matches against France and Portugal.

Dan Ballard

Like Le Fée, the Sunderland defender was also struck down by a hamstring complaint against Hull, and it would appear that his is slightly more serious, with Le Bris suggesting that he is around a fortnight behind the French midfielder in his recovery schedule. If that is the case, then the Black Cats can expect to welcome him back some time in April.

Salis Abdul Samed

Again, speaking in a press conference, Le Bris suggested that Samed was facing a similar timescale as Ballard, which would put him around mid-April in terms of a return. That being said, after such a disrupted season, it remains to be seen how long it would take the loanee to properly work his way back to full match sharpness.

Ahmed Abdullahi

It is still not abundantly clear as to when Abdullahi will be available for first team selection. The striker has featured - and impressed - for the U21s in recent weeks, but Le Bris has suggested that he is still not fully over the groin injury which has kept him out of action for much of this season. He said: "With Ahmed, he is still struggling with his previous injury so it is not yet fully solved. It is not a bad issue at this stage but he is not available.”

Ian Poveda

Another who has endured a difficult debut season on Wearside, Poveda is once again sidelined, and as things stand, there is no overt timeframe on when he will be available for selection again.

Jayden Danns

Again, it is not particularly obvious as to when Danns will make his debut for Sunderland either. The Liverpool loanee was discovered to have a back problem during his medical on Wearside, and since then, he has returned to Merseyside to continue his rehabilitation. At the present moment, there is no concrete date for his recovery.

Aji Alese

Alese suffered a broken leg during the FA Cup defeat against Stoke City back in January, and has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign after surgery. Should be back for pre-season.

Niall Huggins

Huggins is recovering from a major knee injury and Sunderland are determined not to rush him back to action. He could return for the final weeks of the campaign but there’s every chance he instead builds towards a pre-season return. Sunderland won’t take any risks.

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